(i) Technical Field
The present invention relates to a standing position evaluation apparatus, a standing position evaluation method, and a non-transitory computer readable medium.
(ii) Related Art
Due to an increase in the proportion of older people in society, prevention and early detection of metabolic syndrome (syndrome due to excessive visceral fat), locomotive syndrome (syndrome related to locomotive systems), and dementia, which are major causes of a decrease in healthy lifespan and an increase in the population in need of nursing care, are serious issues. Here, the term “locomotive syndrome” generally refers to physical conditions that are likely to make a person bedridden or in need of nursing care due to disorders of the locomotive systems, such as a decrease in balancing ability, a decrease in physical power, a decrease in mobility, or an increased risk of accidental fall.
The standing position is maintained by complex coordination between muscles, bones, nerves, and the brain; and it is considered that balance is maintained by sophisticated functions of the brain. It is also considered that the degree of locomotive syndrome or dementia or the degree of fatigue influence standing position balance, which reflects the relationships between indicators of the positions of the head and the body. Accordingly, by examining balance including the relationships between indicators of the positions of the head and the body in the standing position (hereinafter, referred to as the “standing position balance”), it is possible to objectively evaluate, for example, the degree of locomotive syndrome or dementia or the degree of fatigue.
It is possible to determine standing position balance by, for example, determining whether the indicators of the positions of the head, the body, and other parts of a subject in a standing position are substantially aligned in a straight line (while considering variations among individuals). However, it is not possible to evaluate standing position balance by using general existing technologies, because the existing technologies evaluate only the balance of pressures on the soles of the feet of a subject without examining the relationship between the indicators of the positions of the head and the body.